The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II and the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED is the longer of the two lenses at 99mm. The Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II with a length of 25mm, is 74mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED also has a larger diameter of 84mm compared to the Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II's 63mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II weighs 200g, which means it is 365g (64%) lighter than the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED which has a weight of 565g.
Filter Threads
The Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED:
Lens Mounts
The Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II has the Pentax KAF lens mount whereas the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED has the Pentax KAF2 lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III for the Pentax KAF Mount and , and for the Pentax KAF2 Mount.
Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II is also available in the Canon EF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Focal Range
Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 40mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
60mm.
On the other hand, the Pentax smc 16-50mm F2.8 ED has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
